Talk and More Talk
by broncomap
Summary: Doc and Kitty have a failure to communicate. I wrote a story called, Talk, some time ago. Recently I received a comment from 52shari saying she wished the story had continued. She got me thinking, so here is a continuation. I reposted the original as chapter one and added 2 more. 52shari if you read this, I hope you're not disappointed.
1. Talk

"How'd he sleep Doc?" The early morning sun poured into Doc's office as Kitty walked in carrying a bag of sweet rolls, knowing a pot of coffee would already be brewing.

"Pretty peacefully, he's still running a fever, but no where near as high as one he rode in with last night."

Kitty set the rolls out on a plate. She picked one up and went to take a bite, but quickly set it back down, "Doc, he could hardly stay upright on his horse when he rode in. He should have headed back way sooner."

Doc poured two cups of coffee and handed her one, "We both know better than that Kitty. He'll just push himself until every ounce of strength is gone. I still don't figure how he was able to bring that Mason fellow back with him."

The two old friends sat side-by-side picturing Matt swaying in the saddle as he rode into town. He was obviously succumbing to a high fever, but somehow kept a firm grip on the reins of the horse carrying his snarling, handcuffed prisoner.

Doc's eyes rested on Matt's sleeping form as images from the past 18 years flickered by. He and Kitty had logged a lot of hours by Matt's bedside over a lot of years. Years that had flown by. He suddenly set his coffee down. "Kitty, this may be none of my business but where are things with you and Matt?"

One side of Kitty's mouth curled into a knowing smile, "Seeing as things not being your business never stopped you from anything, I'll just say that when Matt takes the badge off we're going to get ourselves a spread. It's a pretty vague plan, and I don't quite know what I'm going to do with the Long Branch, but Matt figures he has another year or two of marshaling in him so there's plenty of time to ….."

Kitty's voice petered out and her eyes narrowed as she looked at Doc, "Doc, you were asking about the future right? I mean you weren't asking about where we're at now."

"If what you mean by now is the way you and Matt have been carrying on for 18 years, you're right, that's not what I'm asking. I was wondering about the future.

Out of nowhere Kitty felt color creep up her cheeks.

Doc laughed, "Why Kitty Russell, I do believe you are blushing. That's something I thought I'd never see in a million years."

"I am not blushing."

"Oh yes you are, but I don't see why. Like I said, I've known about you and Matt for 18 years. Way in the beginning, Ma Smalley used to say…"

Kitty jumped to her feet, "MA SMALLEY! You mean you and Ma Smalley have been discussing my personal, private life for 18 years."

Doc knew he'd said too much and wanted to backtrack. He spoke rapidly, "Well, Kitty in the beginning you went to Matt's room at Ma's. Ma & I figured it was hard for Matt to discreetly get you home, and if he was called to take care of something, you had to find your own way home. We reckoned that's why things got switched to him spending nights with you at the Long Branch – smart move. Like Ma said, 'If there's a commotion the marshal can hear it from anywhere.'

Kitty glared, "Like Ma said!" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, "I hope you and Ma Smalley have enjoyed many hours discussing and judging my life and decisions."

"Now Kitty, Ma comes from a more worldly background than you'd think."

"Oh – a WORLDLY BACKGROUND. The kind of background that gives insight into the mind of a saloon woman who sleeps with a man."

"Kitty, that's not what I meant."

Mmm.

Hearing a moan from the bed, Doc rushed over, glad to have something to do, "How do you feel Matt?"

"Like something the cat dragged in. Is Mason in jail?"

"Oh yes, Festus has him locked up good, real good. Now you rest, you're going to be fine. As good as new, and soon, real soon. I'll get you some quinine."

Puzzled by the torrent of words pouring from Doc and his awkward demeanor. Matt's eyes rested on Kitty. "Hi there."

She took his hand and was glad to feel it was cool and dry. She meant to say something soothing but before she knew it blurted out what was on her mind. "Matt, did you know that our good friend Doctor Adams has been having daily discussions about our relationship, our intimate relationship, with Ma Smalley, and who knows who else."

Matt blinked, not quite understanding what was going on or why Kitty sounded so angry.

Doc spoke indignantly, "I do not have daily discussions about your relationship." He put a cup of white liquid to Matt's lips, "Drink this Matt, all of it." As Matt was swallowing the vile tasting medicine Doc took on an exasperated tone, "All I said to Kitty was that Ma Smalley said - said, well never mind."

Kitty crossed her arms in front of her, "You see Matt, Dr. Gossip Pants there has been hard at work, day after day, year after year, talk-talk-talking about us."

Matt still couldn't grasp what was going on, but he wanted the bickering to end, and he wanted to be alone with Kitty. His head was pounding, his muscles ached and he yearned to have Kitty's cool hands on him. Out of desperation an idea took shape, "Kitty, since Dr. Gossip Pants knows all about us, how about you take off some of those clothes and get into bed beside me?"

Kitty and Doc looked horrified, but Kitty quickly saw the playfulness in Matt's eyes. "Of course Matt. I'll strip down to the essentials and get next to you to give you a nice back rub. I'm sure you can use it."

Doc's eyes widened in growing horror as Kitty sat down and slipped off her shoes. He sputtered, "You can't do that in front of me."

Kitty smiled sweetly, "You're a doctor, a worldly man. You've seen it all."

"This is not a medical emergency, this is, this is - well, I never."

He grabbed his jacket and stormed out the door.

Kitty got down to her undergarments and climbed into bed beside Matt. She started rubbing her cool hands up and down his spine and then kneaded his cramped back muscles.

He whispered softly, "Kitty, I don't know the whole of what went on here, but it seems to me even if he shared with Ma Smalley, Dr. Gossip Pants has kept our secret well. If Ma knows so has she."

Kitty gently kissed Matt's neck and continued massaging his achy muscles. She thought it over and let out a big sigh, "I know Matt. Really, I don't know why I got so emotional about the whole thing. I'll apologize to Doc later."

Doc stormed down the stairs and marched down Front Street – Dr. Gossip Pants indeed. He wondered if he should go talk to Ma, but in truth they hadn't mentioned Kitty and Matt's relationship in years. It was an unspoken, acknowledged fact, and he knew Ma was pleased that she'd witnessed the start of their blossoming love, but it wasn't a point of discussion.

Ruling out a visit to Ma and knowing he couldn't go back to his office, Doc thought about where to go. There was the marshal's office, but he wasn't in the mood for Festus' chatter. He was too unsettled to sit in Delmonico's and eat alone, and he had no patients to see until afternoon. On a whim he decided that a morning of fishing was in order. That's it he'd go fishing. As he gathered his gear he couldn't get over how emotional Kitty had gotten. He'd seen her through terrible things, but had never seen her lose it like that.

He stopped and thought. Uncharacteristically emotional, paler than usual, she'd brought the sweet rolls she loved but lifted one, took a sniff and set it down without taking a bite. It could just be that Kitty Russell was expecting. Yep, it could just be that those vague plans of Kitty and Matt's were going to have to take shape a little sooner than they knew. Doc laughed out loud. He put down his gear and started walking towards Smalley's boarding house. This is something Ma would appreciate. They'd have a good laugh about this one.

He stopped in his tracks, "Dr. Gossip Pants, think again. Go fishing – they'll be plenty of time for talk later.

TBC


	2. More Talk

It was a little past noon when Doc drove back into Dodge in a much better mood than when he'd left. An hour of peaceful fishing in the cool morning air, followed by a breakfast of fried catfish, had restored his calm and his energy. He left his rig at the stable and headed down Front Street eager to talk to Kitty. He hated having tension between them, and wanted to set things right. Halfway down the street he slowed his pace. When he stormed out of his office, Kitty was starting to strip down to her essentials, as she put it. He'd better give a strong, loud knock when he got to his door. Matt and Kitty could be in a state of undress he didn't want to think about, much less walk in on.

"Oh, Doc – Doc."

He turned and saw Ma Smalley hurrying toward him, stands of grey hair straying from her bonnet. "Hello Ma, lovely day."

She was a bit breathless when she caught up, her blue shawl hanging loosely over her ample figure. "It is indeed a lovely day, Doc." She tilted her head, "Do I detect the aroma of fried catfish?" Her brown eyes twinkled and she lightly sniffed the air.

Doc laughed, "I only caught a couple and have to admit I ate them both. Tell you what though, I'll go fishing Sunday morning and bring back a bucket full. We'll have a fine dinner together."

"A grand plan, but right now there's something I want to ask you." She glanced around to make sure no one was near, and lowered her voice. "I'm quite familiar with the kind of glow a woman has when she's – well you know. In this case, I'm thinking of Kitty." Ma put up a hand before Doc could utter a sound. "I know, I know, patient privacy is important, so I'll just ask a question. Don't you think it would be nice if the marshal and Kitty started a family? I mean soon?"

Doc rubbed his mustache to hide his smile. "I do think that would be nice, but I can honestly sat that Kitty hasn't come to me about anything of that nature."

"Ah, but you have your suspicions don't you Galen?"

Doc winked, and planted a small kiss on her round cheek. "I'm looking forward to Sunday dinner. See you then. I'd better get to my office."

Doc's Office

Lying in bed beside Matt, Kitty was stripped down to her undergarments. Matt reached under the light shirt covering her chest and gently massaged her breasts. They felt softer and fuller than usual. He liked it.

"Mmmm Cowboy, I that feels especially nice." She kissed his neck.

"Sure does, Kitty."

She closed her eyes and moaned softly as Matt fondled her breasts and gently rubbed her nipples. After a few minutes she sighed heavily and forced her eyes open, "I hate to do this, but I have to get back to the Long Branch. I'm getting a delivery from a new distributer." She reluctantly pushed herself away from Matt's warm hands and got out of bed. "Any chance we can pick up where we left off, tonight."

"You bet." Matt watched her dress before getting out of bed a bit tentatively. "I should get going too. I need to check on that prisoner, Mason."

"Matt, Doc hasn't said it's all right for you to get up. You had a raging fever last night."

"I don't have one now. I'm fine except for being as hungry as a bear." He spotted the plate of untouched sweet rolls still sitting on Doc's desk. "I'll grab one of those to tide me over. Then we can meet for lunch after you get your delivery and I check on Mason." He grabbed two rolls from the plate and held one out to Kitty. "You want one?"

Kitty eyed the pastry with its swirling sugar and cinnamon, and shook her head. The thought of eating it made her queasy, and the idea of lunch even more so.

"You OK Kitty? You just turned kinda pale." He looked at her with concern. She frowned and bit her lower lip. Food was making her queasy, her breasts were particularly tender, and she'd skipped her monthly. Her eyes widened. "Matt, I'm pregnant."

She was as stunned by her words as he was, and they stared at each other with thoughts racing through their heads.

 _Kitty got pregnant right after we started up, but miscarried before we had any real chance to talk about it. Since then we've been careful with trying to stick to safe days in her cycle. Knowing those days were coming, sometimes got me home from a trip a little sooner than I might have, even if it meant riding all night._

 _I wasn't even 20 when I got pregnant with Matt's child. I had my sights on owning my own business, and wasn't near ready for being a mother, so it was probably for the best that I miscarried. We didn't want it to happen again so we got real careful about timing. Even so I've had scares when my monthly was late, but then it would come real strong. Not this time._

Matt spoke hoarsely. "Kitty, are you sure?"

She nodded. "I've been so busy at the Long Branch meeting with new distributers and training new hires, that I didn't pay attention to the signs. Matt, I'm sure.

Slowly their shocked expressions melted into smiles.

"A baby."

Matt took her by the shoulders. "Well, seems like our long term plans just became short term, real short."

"That's for sure Cowboy. There's a lot to figure out, but the first thing we have to do is get ourselves legal, before I start showing and tongues start wagging."

There was a loud banging on the door. "Hello in there, it's Doc."

Kitty lowered her voice, "Matt, let's keep this between us until we have the details worked out. Besides, I'd like to tell Doc in my own way."

There was another loud knock. Kitty called over her shoulder. "Come on in Doc."

Doc opened the door very, very slowly. He let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Kitty and Matt fully clothed, standing away from the bed. Kitty hurried over and took his hands. "Doc, I'm so sorry about the way I spoke to you. I'm ashamed of myself – calling you Doctor Gossip Pants – what was I thinking?"

"Kitty, don't you dare give it another thought." Doc squeezed her hand. "We were both tired and worried about Matt, speaking of which – Matt, how are you feeling?"

"Fine Doc, but hungry. Listen, Kitty has a lot to do at the Long Branch. How about joining me for lunch at Delmonico's right after I check on that prisoner I brought in."

"I don't see any sign of fever in you, and a good meal is probably what you need, so that sounds good. My treat."

In the best of spirits, Doc watched Matt and Kitty leave. He was relieved that things were back to normal between him and Kitty, and pleased that Matt was doing so well. He looked out the window and watched Kitty make her way to the Long Branch. Maybe he and Ma were wrong. Not likely.

TBC


	3. Even More Talk

The Next Morning

Matt woke to the sound of Kitty retching. He quickly got out of bed, grabbed a washcloth and wet it. He found Kitty sitting on the floor in the water closet. She took the offered cloth and wiped her forehead and then her lips. "Thanks Cowboy."

"You seem miserable" He held out a hand and helped her to her feet.

"I'm not." She leaned on him, and they went back into the bedroom. "The nausea will pass, and I feel good about the plans we made last night. You're right that we don't have to change our whole lives all at once. Thinking that way made me feel a lot calmer."

"Yep, if I finish out the year as marshal I'll have the badge off a month before the baby comes, but the War Department will have time to find a good replacement and I'll be able to get a little money together. It means 6 more months of a salary, and time to call in debts from the ranchers and farmers I've loaned money to, over the years, during hard times. They're doing fine now and won't mind paying up. That and the $500 I have in the bank, will help with a down payment on a ranch."

"It will, and I have time to find good buyer for the Long Branch." Kitty sat on the side of the bed and put her hand on her belly. "Did you wire Judge Brooker?"

Matt nodded. "He's arriving Saturday afternoon, and set for marrying us on Saturday evening."

"Good, well before I start to show." Kitty laughed, "When the baby comes some biddies will count months, but it seems to me an awful lot of babies come a month or so early, even big babies. Folks forget about it pretty quick."

Matt laughed. "That seems to be the way it is." He kissed her forehead. "I'd better get to the office. You gonna rest a while?"

"Actually, I'm feeling hungry. I think I'll ask Doc out to breakfast. I want to tell him our news.

Delmonico's

Feeling ravenous, Kitty was enjoying every spoonful of oatmeal when she felt Doc's eyes boring into her. She set down her spoon, "Doc, is there something fascinating about the way I eat oatmeal?"

"No, no Kitty, I was just wondering – um – how you're feeling."

"Me – It's Matt who rode in with a raging fever, and he seems fine. Like you always say, he has a knack for making a quick recovery."

"Actually Kitty, I was wondering about you. I've noticed …."

"You've noticed what?" She looked him square in the eyes.

"Nothing, well not nothing exactly – maybe we should start with what you've noticed in yourself - changes you may be seeing?" Doc leaned forward with an encouraging nod.

"Doc, it seems to me, it might be a good idea to start with what you've noticed."

Frustrated at the way the conversation was going, Doc rubbed his mustache, "Well, I noticed some things yesterday morning and Ma Smalley said you have a glow that …" As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wanted to disappear into thin air.

Kitty saw the horror on Doc's face but was not ready to put him out of his misery. She frowned with indignation. "Ma Smalley said what, Doctor Gossip Pants?"

"Nothing Kitty, nothing."

Kitty threw down her napkin, "Don't tell me she said nothing. What did she say, Doctor Gossip Pants?"

"I wish you'd stop calling me that, and anyway Ma and I are probably mistaken."

"Mistaken about what?"

"I – well – I – it's…. "

Kitty took mercy. She reached across the table and clasped his hand. "Doc, I came here to invite you to my wedding this Saturday evening. It's kind of sudden, and I think you know why, but Matt and I are happy. Now go tell Ma Smalley that she's invited too."

The End - Really


End file.
